Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade and am not making any money off this fic. I write it for your amusement only (and mine too). The lovely cover photo is by Vintage Aerith of DeviantArt so please drop by her page and leave her a comment! Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 1: A Painful Choice

"Rosette! Chrono!"

I slowly open my eyes as I hear voices. At first I thought I was imagining it but as they grew louder, I realized that they were the voices of my friends, Azmaria, Anna, Mary, Claire, and Father Remington. They were not far away; in fact, they would be here any minute. I had no doubt they were searching for me. I would have rejoiced and made myself known to them if not for one thing.

Chrono.

I looked ahead and saw my cherished friend and partner lying in a pool of his own blood. Upon losing consciousness, he had subconsciously reverted to his child form. Although I was not much better off than he was, I forced myself to get up and made my way to where Chrono laid and flipped him onto his back. Checking his pulse, I was relieved to find that he was breathing and there was still life in him yet.

I thought of my other friends and desperately wanted to call out to them but stopped myself. Why did I hesitate? I couldn't just think of myself, I also had Chrono to consider. If I returned with the others, I could see my brother and friends again but I dreaded to think about what might become of Chrono should he be brought back to the order, especially after all the destruction he and Joshua had caused. My brother would be forgiven considering that he was a human under Aion's control when he and Chrono destroyed an entire city over me. Chrono however, was a different story. He was a devil and knew exactly what he was doing, even if he didn't want to do it. He could be imprisoned, even slated for execution should we return. And knowing her, Sister Kate would only be too happy to have a reason to persecute him.

As I think this over, my heart felt like it was being torn in half. If I went back with the others, I would finally be with my beloved twin and cherished friends once more but I would lose Chrono forever. On the other hand, if I went with Chrono, I would never see Joshua or Azmaria ever again. I wish I had enough time to resolve things so that I can have both but knew that wasn't possible; I had already given up almost all of my remaining time so that Chrono could defeat Aion. At most, I had only a few months left to live. I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks as I realized this. Dear God, why are you forcing me to choose? How can I choose?

But I had to. My friends were getting closer and I realize that I had to choose and choose fast. I look towards the direction of their voices and then looked down at Chrono's battered body. When I saw the look of pain and anguish on his face, it became clear what my choice must be. I will never stop loving my beloved twin but I knew that Joshua was not the one who needed me now. He had Azmaria, Father Remington, and the others to care for him. Chrono had no one but me; I couldn't abandon him now, not after everything he had done for me.

Mustering what strength I had left, I lifted Chrono to his feet and slung one of his arms around my shoulders. The others will be here soon so I have to move quickly. Looking around, I saw a huge oak tree in the distance that was wide enough for both of us to hide behind. We don't have enough time to leave before they get here but we can at least hide long enough for them to give up and leave once they believe we're not here.

"Rosette! Chrono!"

As I set Chrono down, I looked around the corner of our hiding spot to see Azmaria, Father Remington, Anna, Mary, and Claire arrive at the spot where we had just been moments before. It was when I realized that in my haste, I had forgotten the gun I had attempted to kill Chrono with on the ground. I also didn't have time to clean up the blood from his struggle with Aion that could give us away. All I could do was hope that we wouldn't be found.

As I watched, I saw Azmaria pick up the weapon and show it to Father Remington with tears in her eyes.

"Father Remington, this was all we could find" she wailed.

The minister looked distraught as he asked "What of Rosette and Chrono?" Azmaria shook her head as tears rolled down her checks. Remington sighed "I see. So it's truly over."

"No" she protested "I believe that wherever she is, Rosette's still alive. I'm sure of it."

Upon hearing this and seeing her weep, I was heartbroken over my deception. But what other choice was there?

I am so sorry, Azmaria; I have to do this for Chrono. Please understand and please forgive me…

A/N: So what do you think so far? I became inspired to write this after seeing CC again and reading Maiden of the Moon's 'Sunsets'. This story will be my version of what happened between the time Rosette and Chrono vanished until they were found by Azmaria and the others six months later. I have always wondered why they didn't stay and wait for the others to find them instead of disappearing and I think this may have been the reason. This story will also be an extended version of my one-shot 'Freedom to Love'. I wanted to go into more detail of Chrono and Rosette's relationship over their last six months together and make it into a multi-chapter story instead of a one-shot. Please tell me what you think and suggestions are always welcomed!